


Gold rush

by OhDarn116



Category: The Wilds (TV 2020)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Girls Kissing, Implied/Referenced Sex, Kissing, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:54:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28700997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhDarn116/pseuds/OhDarn116
Summary: 5 times one of the girls realize Shelby and Toni are a thing, and 1 time Martha doesn't notice until the endor'Fatin makes a face like she isn’t at all surprised by what Dot is telling her. “I figured as much.”“You know what she did?” Dot asks.“More like who she did.” Fatin mumbles.“What’d you say?”“Nothing, nothing,”'
Relationships: Shelby Goodkind/Toni Shalifoe
Comments: 25
Kudos: 639





	Gold rush

**Author's Note:**

> I binged this show and now I'm obsessed. 
> 
> For reference, this story is pretty canon compliment from what we know so far, but the shark attack and a lot of stuff from episode 10 doesn't happen cuz my brain can't handle that rn

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that Fatin is the first one to figure it out. She has the most knowledge about this kind of thing after all. And, okay, maybe she’s also been hoping something like this would happen ever since the plane crashed down, but could she really be blamed for such a thing? There’s only so much one can do to keep their mind preoccupied on an island in the middle of who knows where. Drama between the other girls is her only source of true entertainment, and knowing them, well, there sure hasn’t been a lack of it so far. 

She supposes something like it would be inevitable in this kind of situation, anyhow. Eight people stranded on an island with only themselves as company? They were all bound to go stir crazy after a while. Hookups were inevitable.

Still, it takes Fatin a surprising amount of time to figure out who would pair up with who first (Or who would pair up with who at all). 

Toni is the obvious candidate. Not to be rude, but if Fantin is being frank, she’d rather be with someone experienced rather than one who has no idea what they’re doing. With this in mind, she suspects that, if it did come down to it, Toni would be part of that inevitable pair. 

The other half though? Well, it’d been a bit harder to tell. 

Nora and Rachel are crossed off her list right away. Neither of the twins seemed to into the idea of a relationship (or whatever it is to be called in this kind of circumstance). The two of them have enough shit to sort out between themselves anyway. 

Martha is out of the picture too. She and Toni are definitely close, closer than anyone else in this godforsaken place, but their relationship is more siblinglike than anything. 

Leah is a definite no-no as well. The girls still strung out on that creepo lover of hers, and Fatin isn’t even sure she can name a time where she and Toni interacted off the top of her head. 

Dot seems like the closest she will get at first. She meets all the criteria, even if such a vision is a bit stereotypical. Fatin has learned over the years though, that stereotypes are often true, safe for a few exceptions. 

She’s got the nonchalant attitude, the strong headedness, and those damn cargo shorts with all the pockets. 

Still, despite their shared teasing of the idea that, after they get out of here, she and Fatin will move to LA and become lovers, Dot is firm in stating she’s straight as a board. 

Fatin isn’t quite sure if she believes her on that end, but it doesn’t matter, because other than working in a polite companionship, Dot and Toni have the chemistry of a pile of dirt (meaning there’s absolutely none of it). 

So it seems Dottie is off the list as well. 

It leaves Fatin stumped for a while. Maybe there really wouldn’t be any scandalous love affair between the girls. 

She lets it be for a while, turning her attention to the many other petty problems the other girls have with each other. 

Rachel and Nora with their unspoke rivalry with each other.

Leah’s obsession with proving someone guilty of this whole mess.

Shelby’s bigoted Christian vendetta against Toni, and Toni’s (at first) unreasonable hatred towards the Texan. 

They were Fatins personal favorite to watch during those especially lackluster days. She loved observing their bickering go back and forth, often ending up nowhere, repeating the same old points over and over again, until Toni either storms off to go smash something or Shelby ignores the other in favor of making conversation with another girl. 

There’s a special kind of tension those two have. If she had a bag of popcorn, Fatin could watch them go back and forth for hours. 

For a split second, she entertains the idea that Shelby and Toni might become a thing. 

After the incident with the mussels though, she is quick to dismiss the idea. Oh well, it was fine while it lasted. 

It’s only after their bickering comes to a startling halt that Fatin thinks she may have to rethink a few things.

It begins after the huge fight between all the girls one night. 

Prior to that, Toni and Shelby hadn’t been on the best terms. 

After that night, the two girls don’t interact much. 

Fatin notices how strange Shelby begins to act, too. Half-finished sentences, long stretches of time where she simply sits in silence, sudden outbursts, untrusting and wandering eyes. 

Whatever happened between her and Toni the day they went to fetch kindling had really shaken her up. 

Then Fatin’s brush gets stuck in a drunken Shelby’s tangled hair, and all hell breaks loose.   
Watch is all any of them can do when Shelby finally snaps and cuts off a chunk of her golden locks with a pair of rusty scissors. 

Even Leah, self-proclaimed psycho is up shown by such an act. 

Then, as if it never happened, Shelby is her normal, cheerful self again. Not that Fatin cares enough to notice, hunger is a dangerous thing.

There aren’t any more fights between Toni and Shelby either. In fact, they seem friendly with each other, if a little hesitant.

Fatin can tell Toni is worried for the Texan, it’s written all over her tan features, bright as the sun beaming down on them all. After the night Shelby went total wack job on all of them, Toni’s anger towards her quickly morphed into a quiet concern. 

They gave each other space even so. 

There’s a noticeable change in Shelby as well. Even if she insists on pretending everything is fine, even if she is still wearing her ‘good Christin girl’ mask, she does nothing to tease or provoke Toni like she used to. 

She actually acts noticeably… shy around the other girl. Bashful even, Fatin observes. 

Oh yes, there is definitely something between them.

Fatin wonders what happened between them those few days ago. Was there a kiss? Is that why Shelby had acted so deranged? Had Toni finally broken down all those values Shelby had beaten into her thick skull from day one?

When they return with the lychees after disappearing for a night, Shelby rambling on nervously, face flushed with more than just a sunburn, Fatin knows they did it, she’s actually a little disappointed she couldn’t figure it out quicker. 

Toni comes up with some instantaneous excuse about what they’d been doing in the forest. Shelby shoots her a grateful look, shutting up before she can embarrass herself any further. 

It’s kinda cute, Fatin thinks, how Toni turns into a total puppy-dog for Shelby. Apparently, Shelby doesn’t notice it in the least though, because later that day when Toni goes for some time alone in the bluff, she sits there in silence, a worried look on her face. 

Fatin decides to stoke the flames a little then. Of course, it’s none of her business, she knows, but watching them pine over each other is much more entertaining than their bickering.

“Do you have any burning questions for the oracle?” Fatin says dramatically, waving the little paper game in a circle. 

Shelby looks at her, an amused yet questioning look on her face. 

She takes the thing gingerly, glancing down at it. 

After a moment of hesitation, Shelby asks, “Do I have to say the question out loud?” Her voice is soft, nervous almost. 

Fatin scoffs, “Ideally,” she teases, “but if you want to be a mysterious bitch about it, fine.” 

Shelby looks down at the paper in her hand, sighing before she opens and closes it a few times. 

“I don’t fucking know.” Shelby reads allowed, voice sounding annoyed, “Well that wasn’t fun, the whole point of these things is that they’re supposed to give you the answer, right?”

Fatin blinks at the other girls’ sudden irritation. 

“Jesus,” she smirks, “I mean, you know if you’re so worried about how she’s feeling, maybe you should go ask her yourself.”

Shelby stares at her now, eyes wide with shock. She opens and closes her mouth a few times as if to say something, but no words come out. 

She glances in the direction of where Toni sits, staring out at the ocean, only confirming Fatins theory more. 

“Please,” she says, “I know sexual tension when I see it.”

Shelby glances down, expression shifting between surprise and worry. 

Fatin assures her, “But don’t worry.” She makes a zipping motion over her mouth, showing the blonde her secret is safe with her. 

Shelby looks at her gratefully, then shifts her gaze back over to Toni, contemplating whether or not she really should go over there. 

In the end, she does, glancing shyly at Fatin one last time before finally getting up, making a B-line straight for the bluff. 

Fatin grins, satisfied with her days’ work. She leans back in the sand, flicking a pair of sunglasses down over her eyes.   
Maybe after they all get off this stupid island, she’ll become some sort of love therapist. 

…

Unlike Fatin, Dot isn’t expecting it at all when it comes. She’s never been one for getting into others’ business, never even been one for romance herself. All her life she’s been busy, and here on the island is turning out to be no different. 

Still, it’s a bit hard not to notice when the ever-present bickering between her fellow Texan and the girl from Minnesota comes to an abrupt end. 

What’s even harder not to notice, is how often she finds them pairing up together during work times or trips to the forest for firewood. They’ve worked together before, but that isn’t the crazy part. The crazy part is they’re doing it voluntarily. Like- like they actually enjoy each other’s company. 

Alls well that ends well Dot supposes. At least they don’t argue like toddlers anymore. 

The veil lifts a little one day in the woods, and Dot realizes she’s apparently missed quite a lot. 

It’s a hot day, as they often are. Rachel and Toni are scouting out for more food resources, Fatin, Leah, and Martha are boiling a fresh supply of water to drink (or at least Leah and Martha are, Dot is sure Fatin is busying herself with some other form of leisurely entertainment), Nora is… somewhere, and Dot herself, along with Shelby, are gathering whatever supplies they can find to start a fire. Despite the heat of the day, the night is sure to get cold, and Dot would rather not freeze the night pressed against the other girl’s dirty sides again. 

“Yeesh, it’s hot as balls out here.” Dot complains, leaning down to pick up a particularly large branch, “Reminds you of home, doesn’t it?”

Shelby’s ever-present smile falters for a moment, but she nods with a hum of agreement.

Dot cocks an eyebrow at her. Usually, Shelby jumps at the chance to talk about their hometown in the suburbs of Texas. 

“Somethin’ wrong?” She asks the blonde girl.

Shelby straightens as if unaware she’d been acting off in the first place. “Me? Oh no, I’m right as rain!” She assures her, a fake smile plastered onto her face.

“Uh-huh.” Dot says, not believing her in the slightest, “It’s just, you’ve seemed a little off for a few days. You sure everything’s ok?”

Dot knows her well enough, that when it comes to Shelby, it never takes too much asking to find out what’s at the heart of the issue. If there’s ever a chance to talk about herself, the girl will. 

“If I’m bein’ honest with you Dottie,” Shelby drawls, “not really.”

She gives her friend a sympathetic look, gesturing for her to continue. 

“It’s just,” Shelby continues, adding another stick to the pile, “I don’t… I’m not really sure I want to go home.”

Now Dot really is worried, “What do you mean? You want to stay here?”

Shelby looks up at her, “No no, not- well- I suppose-” she lets out a frustrated huff, “I dunno Dottie, let’s just forget it.”

“Oh no you don’t.” Dot orders, grabbing hold of Shelby before she can turn her back on her, “You can talk to me, you know that right dude? I know we were never close back in Texas, but here Shelby? We’re all we have here. If you don’t talk to us, at least to me, you’re going to go insane,” she gives Shelby a hard look, “and you and I both know we don’t need you doing that again.”

Shelby brushes a strand of blonde hair from her face, knowing exactly what Dot means by her words. 

A few minutes of silence pass before Shelby breaks. 

“It’s not- it’s not that I don’t want to leave the island.” She tightens her grip on her wood she’s holding, “I don’t want to go back to Texas. I don’t wanna go back to my daddy and I don’t wanna go back to the church, and I don’t wanna go back to fuckin’ Andrew and his cheatin’ ass.”

Her voice gets angrier and angrier as she goes on, and soon Dot is panicking because tears have formed in Shelby’s green eyes, and holy hell she is not prepared for this level of baggage. 

In an effort to ease her roll, Dot tries, “Hey, we don’t know for sure Andrew is cheating-”

“Of course he’s cheatin’ Dottie!” Shelby exclaims, “He’s probably fucked every girl in school by now without a second thought!”

Dot blinks. Well, ok, so at least Shelby said it, not her.

Shelby drops the wood she’s holding in favor of sitting down on a nearby log, tearful face falling into her hands.  
Dot follows her lead. She sets down her own collection, making it possible for her to rest a comforting hand on her friend’s back. She rubs gentle circles there, just as she used to with her father after an especially painful night. 

“I can’t go back home,” Shelby says with a shuttering breath. “M-my parents? My father? Dottie, he- he sent me on this trip because- because I-”

“Take your time Shelby.” Dot whispers. 

Shelby nods, wiping the perspiration from her eyes, “They were tryin’ to fix me.” She says quietly, so quiet Dot wouldn’t have heard her if she hadn’t been listening so closely. 

“Shelby, it’s alright to not be ok sometimes-”

“You don’t understand!” She cries, a wild look on her face, “I’ve done things, Dottie. Things my parents- they wouldn’t- if they knew… They’d cut me off.”

Jesus Christ, Dot knows Shelby’s family hid some pretty nasty demons in their closet, but threatening to disown their own daughter? She isn’t sure what Shelby has done that’s so wrong, but she does know, whatever it is, probably isn’t so immoral in retrospect. 

“So what then?” Dot charges, “Your parents think you sinned or some shit?”

Shelby glares at her but nods still. 

“Shelby, who the fuck cares?” Dot asks, throwing her hands up in the air, “From what I’ve heard, that church shit of yours has done nothing but hurt you. You’re an amazing person, dude. I mean, okay, that homophobic shit you preached a while back was pretty shitty-”

The girl snorts.

“-but It’s obvious you’re working on all that. If your parents can’t see all that, then fuck them, man. They don’t deserve you.”

Shelby offers Dot a small grin, but the pained look on her face hasn’t gone away. 

In an effort to lighten the mood, Dot offers, “Hey, if all things go to shit, you can just move to LA with me and Fatin.”

The blonde snorts, a real smile taking over her features now, “You two are serious about that?”

Dot grins, “Dead serious, dude. It’s going to be great.”

“I’m sure it will be. Though I feel like I’d be a bit of a third wheel if I tagged along with you two.” Shelby points out. 

Dot considers it, “Yeah probably, Fatin and I have an unbreakable bond,” she jokes, “Well… You know I’m sure Martha would love to have you back in Minnesota. Her parents take in Toni too from time to time, I hear.”

Shelby shuffles uncomfortably next to her, “Heh, yeah Minnesota…”

With a laugh, Dot says, “I guess that’d be a bit of a mess too, huh?”

“What d’you mean?” Shelby asks with a tilt of her head.

Dot shrugs, “Oh, I just meant ‘cus of you and Toni.”

Shelby’s eyebrows shoot up. She blinks a few times, “What about me and Toni?” She asks, throat dry. 

“Uhh, I just mean because you two are always fighting, I figured you two would get pretty sick of each other down there.”

“Oh… Oh yeah! Heh, yup that uh, that would be pretty darn annoying, I suppose, living with Toni… and Martha! Living with Toni and Martha, I mean.”

Dot rises with Shelby close behind, decidedly finishing the job they came out here to do.

“Maybe it wouldn’t be though,” Dot continues, “I mean, I couldn’t help but notice the change between you two.”

Shelby almost trips then. She whips around, wide eyes searching Dot’s face for any mal intentions. “W-what do you mean by that?”

Now Dot is fully confused, why is she acting so strange?

“I just meant that you two seem a lot closer than before. You sure haven’t been scrapping as much.” She says, “It’s good you two are on better terms, sure as hell keeps this place calmer.”

Shelby nods frantically, “Yes of course! We’ve uhm, definitely come to terms with our differences… mostly. I think.”

They aren’t out there for much longer before the sun begins to set, and Dot decides to call it a night.

The rest of the day is relatively boring.

Dot and Fatin are making small talk when the conversation inevitably ends up directed towards the other girls. Fatin loves to gossip, and Dot loves to listen (even if she doesn’t care so much for it herself). 

“Shelby was acting a little off today.” Dot admits when there’s a lull in their conversation. 

Fatin turns to her, “Oh yeah? Spill the tea sis, I want to hear it all.”

Dot rolls her eyes, “It wasn’t much really, none of my business even… She’s got a lot of problems back at home though. I don’t know the whole story, but it’s bad enough that she doesn’t wanna go back to Texas.”

Fatin makes a face like she isn’t at all surprised by what Dot is telling her. “I figured as much.”

“You know what she did?” Dot asks.

“More like who she did.” Fatin mumbles.

“What’d you say?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Fatin says in a rush.

“Oh come on Fatin, now I’m curious.” Dot pleads. Really, she knows she shouldn’t be fishing for info, but she’d be lying if she weren’t the least bit intrigued. And, okay, maybe Fatins habits are starting to rub off on her.

Fatin sighs, “As much as I’d love to tell you, I promised I wouldn’t.” She looks ahead of her, dark brown eyes focused on something in the distance, “But if you care so much why don’t you just see for yourself?”

Dot follows her gaze, her own eyes widening when she sees what Fatin is staring at. 

The sun is setting, so it’s a little hard to see, but the two figures on the beach are not missed by her. 

Their hands are intertwined from what Dot can see, and when the shorter silhouette stands up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on the other’s cheek, Dot lets out an audible gasp. 

“You mean to tell me- Toni and Shelby...?” Her mouth falls open, unable to finish her sentence. 

Fatin grins smugly but doesn’t say a word.

“You knew this whole time?” Dot asks.

Fatin shrugs, “Not sure what you mean.” She says with faux innocence. 

Oh, so that’s the game they’re playing then. Alright, Dot can be cool with that.

She lets out a laugh, Fatin joins in, shoving her slightly.

“Fuck yeah!” Dot shouts to no one in particular. 

…

Leah has had trouble sleeping for as long as she can remember. Nightmares of monsters under her bed kept her up most nights as a child. Then, once she’d grown out of that, schoolwork had started to take up all her time, leaving hardly any room for sleep. 

After that came Jeffrey, and well, there were lots of sleepless nights spent yearning after him. 

When they broke up was no different, only then, yearning had been replaced with fowl anger and sadness, both at herself and her former lover. 

So yeah, Leah had sleeping troubles, her obsessions with things didn’t help much, and being on the island is no different. 

She lays awake now, eyes open just a crack, head leaning on one of Fatins rolled up sweaters for comfort.

The rest of the girls are sleeping, safe for Toni, who is responsible for keeping the fire going until the next shift. 

It’s as quiet as it usually gets on the island, meaning not very. Crickets (or whatever type of bug lives in this place) chirp loudly in the nearby tall grasses, the fire is crackling, Martha is snoring softly next to Leah, waves are pulling in and out of the shoreline, and Dot is mumbling something in her sleep. 

All these sounds are familiar to Leah now, which is why it surprises her when she hears whispering from across the camp. 

She’s startled at first, thinking someone is speaking to her personally. Maybe she’s finally lost it and is hearing things. Maybe she’s right about this whole place, that it’s some huge government experiment and scientists are here to run tests on them. 

Turns out all of her theories are false though, for it’s only Toni. 

Leah turns her head slowly as possible, careful not to draw any attention to herself, in an effort to see who it is Toni is speaking to.

Judging by the matted mane of wild blonde hair, Leah can tell it’s Shelby. 

“Hey.” Toni whispers, rising from her spot by the fire to sit closer to the other girl, “I thought you were sleeping.”

Leah watches as Shelby shrugs, “Got a crick in my neck, couldn’t really fall back asleep after.” Even with her voice low, the Texans country accent is clear. 

Toni sighs, “Yeah I feel you, getting a good rest in this shit hole is almost impossible.”

“Almost,” Shelby repeats.

There’s a pause, and then Toni giggles, “Yeah, almost.”

Leah can’t help the furrow in her brow, because ew, was that an attempt at flirting? Surely not. Shelby had made it clear multiple times she doesn’t agree with the whole ‘gay thing.’ 

Listening to their conversation now though, it seems as if she’s more than gotten over that belief. 

“I missed you today,” Toni tells her. Leah can hear her feet shuffle through the sand nervously. 

Shelby’s voice sounds surprised like she can’t fathom the idea such a thing could be true, “You did?”

Toni’s shadow bobs up and down as she nods. The smile is clear in her voice as she says, “Yeah, I did. We didn’t really get any alone time. Or any time for anything, Dot’s pretty good at keeping us all busy, isn’t she?”

Shelby let’s out a breathy laugh, “Yeah, she is. My arms are gonna be sore all day tomorrow, I can tell.”

“Eh, you could use a little muscle on those bones.” Toni teases.

Shelby scoffs, “You’re one to talk, Shalifoe.”

Their banter goes on like that for a few minutes. Leah acknowledges she shouldn’t be listening to such a private conversation, but she really can’t help it at this point. It’s not as if she can simply jump up from the ground and yell at them to shut up. Doing so would make a whole mess of things, and Leah doesn’t need to make more problems for herself than she already has. 

The whispering stops for a few moments. 

Leah is starting to wonder if they’ve gone to sleep when Shelby says:

“I missed you too.” She sounds nervous, unsure of how Toni may respond. 

Leah knows the feeling all too well. She felt it with Jeff on more than one occasion. 

From where Leah is laying, she can barely see the way Toni reaches up, brushing the strands of fallen hair from Shelby’s face. 

Something unspoken happens in that moment, something Leah isn’t expecting in the slightest.

Their first two kisses are short and sweet. Leah darts her eyes away quickly, not at all wanting to watch. 

Things quickly get a little more PG-13 when Shelby makes a noise that definitely leans more toward a moan than a sigh. 

Leah rolls over with a small cough, hoping the two girls will get the hint, and realize making out in front of a group of people (even if it’s a sleeping group), isn’t the best idea. 

Her plan seems to work, as the pair goes dead silent.

Shelby clears her throat, “Maybe uh, we should do this elsewhere.”

Toni laughs quietly, “Yeah you’re probably right… We could go to the spot if you’re up for it?” She adds in a quiet voice. 

“What about the fire?” Shelby asks.

Leah can practically see the way Toni shrugs, “It’s got a while before it dies down, my shifts almost over anyway.”

Without much more protesting, Shelby lets Toni lead her to wherever their ‘spot’ is, and Leah is left to mull over everything that just happened. 

Toni ends up being wrong about how long the fire is good for because soon after they leave, it dies out, and Leah is stuck in the cold, grumpy and tired. 

…

It’s one of those days where Nora feels particularly guilty for her whole part in this project. Meaning it’s also one of those days where she climbs the top of the nearby hill overlooking the main beach and writes what’s going on in her journal. 

She has not written in a while. After the whole incident with Leah and her ‘sleepwalking’ Nora has felt a little shy about disappearing. She knows if anyone on this island is to catch her, it’s going to be Leah. Everyone else thinks she’s crazy though, so maybe Nora doesn’t need to worry so much. They probably won’t believe her anyway. 

Nora opens up her journal, flipping through the pages until she gets to a blank one. It’s more than halfway filled now. In the back of her mind, she wonders if they’ll supply her with a new one once this is full. 

She gazes out across the beach, taking in each of the other girls one at a time. 

Martha and Rachel are dressing up Marcus with different clothes, no doubt stolen from Fatins bag. Nora likes seeing her sister like that, carefree, even if only for a moment. 

It doesn’t seem very noteworthy though, so she moves on. 

Fatin, Leah, and Dot are taking another inventory of how much food they have left. Broad smiles are written across all of their faces, and seeing them happy calms a little bit of the guilt rising up like bile in Nora’s throat. 

She decides to write a little blip for that one. Her higher-ups may be pleased to know that, despite the horrors dealt with here, happiness can still be found. 

Nora entertains the thought, even if only for a second, what it may have been like here if Jannette had survived the crash. 

She shakes her head, there’s no time to think of such things. 

She turns her attention to the beach, where Toni and Shelby appear to be attempting some sort of fishing maneuver. Nora knows how that goes, so she doesn’t really expect them to be very successful. 

There’s something in the way Shelby is smiling at Toni that catches Nora’s eye. She glances up, pencil gripped hard in her hand. 

Toni is talking excitedly, hands moving around in enthusiastic gestures to get her point across. It’s not an uncommon act for her to do, Nora has noticed it happen multiple other times, mostly with Martha.

What is uncommon though, is the way Shelby is looking at Toni, as if entranced by the simple act of her explaining something so eagerly. 

Nora isn’t always good at reading social cues, but she knows for a fact that friends don’t look at each other with so much longing. 

As if to confirm what she already knew, Shelby reaches out a hand and gingerly rests it on the nape of Toni’s neck, almost like she can’t help it. 

Toni’s grin falters as she stops talking, expression fading into something softer, something more caring. 

The moment stops as fast as it starts before they’re back to work. 

Nora notices it though, just as she’s forced herself to notice every new change in relationship on this island. 

This could be important, she decides. 

‘Toni and Shelby’ is all she writes. 

…

Rachel is halfway convinced it’s some sick joke the others have played on her when it happens. It’s the most obvious conclusion to make, that the others were in the know, simply deciding to keep her out of the loop. 

It’s nearing the end of the day. Rachel is on her trek back to camp after a walk in the woods she took to cool off (mood-wise not temperature, duh).

She hears them before she sees them. 

Breathless laughter coming from the other side of the thicket. 

The Texan’s slow drawl is unmistakable, as is the raspy voice of the (ex) basketball player from Minnesota. 

She is about to barge in on them, to confront the pair about slacking off when she hears:

“If I’d know kissin’ you would be this good I woulda done it a lot sooner.”

Rachel freezes mid-step. 

What the fucking shit?

She rounds the corner a little, careful to make as little noise as possible. She’s snooping, she knows, but at this point who fucking cares?

Rachel spots them resting on a large rock, flat enough to be comfortable as a seat. The two are wearing nothing but sports bras and shorts, over shirts no doubt strewn away because of the days’ heat. 

Rachel has never been one for relationships. She’d never been interested in anyone, not that she’d ever had the time for that sorta thing anyhow. This is why it’s particularly sickening as she watches Shelby and Toni meet in a sloppy kiss.

After she’s pretty certain they’ve started using tongue, Rachel gets the hell out of there.

Once back at camp, she finds the other girls huddled up in the shade together, hiding from the afternoon’s rays. 

“Ayo!” She shouts at them, waving her hands up in exhaustion, “Were none of you shitbags goin’ to tell me the woods is apparently Shelby and Toni’s makeout point?”

Dot lets out a howl of laughter, even Nora seems amused.

“I was wondering when you’d find out.” Fatin grins, touching up the polish on her chipped fingernails. 

Leah chuckles, “It sounds like you found their ‘spot.’”

Rachel makes a face, “They have a fucking spot?”

Dot laughs again, “Yeah I’d say so!”

“So you all knew?” Rachel says with exasperation, “And you just didn’t tell me?”

“Tell you what?” Martha asks, coming up from where she previously sat with Marcus on the beach. 

Nora giggles quietly, “Oh boy.”

“Glad I’m not the only one who didn’t know.” Rachel sighs.

Martha tilts her head, “The only one who didn’t know what? Am I missing something?”

Dot settles down her laughter, “Sorry Martha, we’re all sworn to secrecy until further notice.”

Fatin nods, “We’ll tell you when you’re older.”

Martha squints, “Aren’t we all like, the same age?”

“We really would like to tell you,” Leah assures her, “But-”

“Hey ya’ll!” An all to cheerful voice greets from behind Rachel. 

Fatin snorts, not even trying to hide the smirk on her face. 

“What’re you gang talkin’ about?” Shelby asks, Toni not far behind her. Toni’s ponytail is crooked, and Rachel is pretty sure Shelby’s tanktop isn’t on the right way.

“Oh you know,” Dot says, “The birds and the bees.”

Toni tilts her head, “Interesting topic.”

“Hey Shelby,” Nora says, “You uh, you have something on your neck.”

Quickly the blonde slaps a hand over her neck, blinking rapidly. Next to her, Toni bits her bottom lip, not quite meeting the gaze of the others. 

“Where were you guys?” Martha asks, still seemingly ignorant to the situation at hand. 

Shelby’s eyes grow even wider, “Oh we were, um, we were- well you see there’s this, uhm, uh-”

“We were out to see if anything else had washed up on the northern shore,” Toni finishes for her, “we uh, we didn’t find much.”

“Yes!” Shelby smiles, “That is what we were doing.”

Toni glances at her, eyebrow raised high. 

Fatin claps her hands together, “Well! Now that we’re done with that whole shenanigan, why don’t we eat, hm? I’m pretty sure there’s still a few lychees left.”

Martha frowns, “But wait, you guys never sold me about the thing.”

Fatin sighs, wrapping a comforting arm around the other girl, “Oh my dear Martha. Have you ever heard of the trope enemies to lovers?”

...

It’s only an hour later when Martha realizes it with a loud, “OOOH!”


End file.
